Posts Tagged ‘bond’

At the Paa premiere, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan bonded with Ranbir Kapoor, making him blush as she recalled that he was caught sketching her secretly the first time they met in 1999

By Preeta Rao (MUMBAI MIRROR; December 17, 2009)

The lives of the Bachchans and the Kapoors seem to be intertwined on many levels. First, it was Amitabh Bachchan’s daughter Shweta who married Nikhil Nanda, a Kapoor prodigy (Raj Kapoor is his maternal grandfather).

Then there was Abhishek’s romance with Karisma Kapoor, which ended soon after they got engaged. And now Ranbir Kapoor seems to be completely floored by the Bachchan bahu, Aishwarya Rai.

At the premiere of Paa about two weeks ago, the Bachchans and the Kapoors were seen mingling like never before. Ranbir walked up to Ash and gave her a warm hug, while Abhishek played the cordial host. After ten minutes of the Aishwarya-Ranbir interaction, Abhishek was seen running to his beloved wife, with a tinge of insecurity masked by his courteous smile.

Before Abhishek could enquire about what was brewing between the two, Aishwarya took Abhishek into a flashback, to the sets of Rishi Kapoor’s Aa Ab Laut Chalen. This was in 1999, when Ranbir and Aishwarya met for the very first time. Apparently, while Rishi and Aishwarya were engrossed in a serious discussion over a shot, Ranbir, who was then assisting his father, was seated next to them unnoticed, busy making a sketch. But even before Ranbir could finish his sketch, his dad pulled across the notepad and caught Ranbir secretly sketching Aishwarya.

Director Anthony D’Souza spills the beans on the costliest film ever made that’s releasing on Friday

MEENA IYER Times News Network (BOMBAY TIMES; October 14, 2009)

Anthony D’Souza is the man behind Bollywood’s costliest film — Shree Ashtavinayak Cine Vision Ltd’s Blue that’s releasing this Diwali (October 16). And he admits that his producers have actually let money flow like water to make this big screen spectacle. “It is the first Bollywood film to be shot in the Bahamas,’’ says Tony, adding that he chose the location despite the heavy cost because it was the only place in the world where he could shoot with live sharks. The budget skyrocketed further because the food and drinking water had to come from Florida.

However, on the eve of the film’s release, the debutant director is hardly worrying his head over the accounts. Instead, he is excited about having made India’s first under-water film and says he is completely indebted to his producer Dhilin Mehta for partaking in his vision. He has also had Hollywood technicians like Amir Mokri (Bad Boys-II) to give him expert advice. Tony is also all praise for his actors. “Sanjay Dutt was the first one who I gave a narration to — and he agreed almost immediately. In fact, he will also be in my next film titled Bond.’’

About Akshay Kumar, the film’s backbone, the director says, “Akshay is the most unselfish, punctual, dedicated, uncomplicated actor I have ever met. Stories about his interference are a myth.’’ But Tony is partial to his leading lady Lara Dutta whom he salutes because she learnt to swim in three months and was then swimming with the sharks like a pro. The film’s youngest actor Zayed Khan is a friend, he says. “I love Zayed because he is frank, forthright and the perfect choice for my film.’’

But even Tony admits that Blue wouldn’t be complete without those magical seven minutes of Katrina Kaif. Says the director, “Katrina is a thorough professional. She takes her work very seriously. Katz is the female Akshay and, like him, she is a very punctual actor.’’meena.iyer@timesgroup.com

Saif Ali Khan discusses the title Agent Vinod and the tacky connotations associated with it

By Mumbai Mirror Bureau (July 16, 2009)

Saif Ali Khan is charged up when he talks about his next film, Agent Vinod. Not only because he relishes the idea of playing out childhood fantasies as a secret agent with toys for boys, he is also excited about the title being his contribution as a producer. He admits that it is in the realm of tacky cool, which is a source of amusement and intrigue for him.

Saif says, “With ‘Agent Vinod’, I got a sense of cinema which I’ve grown up with. To me there is something outstanding about that title, because it is almost… almost a little tacky today. But, if it’s made in a particular way and is written in a particular way, it could be the coolest thing ever. It has a bit of a retro element. Just to give you an example: take the title ‘Mission: Impossible’. It is tacky. It’s cheesy. But when Brian de Palma directs it and Tom Cruise acts in it, and you see the poster, then you say Mission Impossible is a pulp title. So Agent Vinod has also got a pulp element to it.”

It reminds him of cinema where Mithun and company took the kitschy to a cult level. He says with boyish excitement, “It takes us back to the 1970s. It takes us back to the cross between Vinod Khanna and Mithun Chakraborty. Think Suraksha. Think dark glasses. Or the Great Gambler. This film is not that. The feeling it brings is what people will subliminally get. I think it’s my contribution, a creative ace as a producer.”

He has taken pains to avoid replicating the typical Bond or Bourne stereotype.

He animatedly describes his character, “He’s not camp and no one is drinking vodka martinis or sleeping with lots of girls or wearing a tux. There are some machine guns, fast driving, glass breaking on peoples head, lots of stuff blowing up. And I love that.”